Staff Demand Hits 21-Month Peak, Report Reveals

Posted on: 23 Jun 2017

Great news for anyone out there looking into engineering jobs recruitment at the moment – the latest Markit/REC Report on Jobs has just revealed that demand for workers has reached a 21-month high.

In May, a steep and accelerated hike in permanent placements was seen all across the UK, while temporary placements also climbed at a quicker pace. Demand for permanent staff was up across all monitored jobs categories for the month, with engineering at the top of the league table, followed by nursing, medical and care.

However, it’s worth noting that the numbers of people available to fill vacancies continued to fall during May. This has led to the average starting salaries for those looking for permanent positions rising at the quickest rate for three months. Temporary and contract staff also saw their hourly rates of pay increase sharply.

Director of policy with the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) Tom Hadley said: “Skill shortages are causing headaches in many sectors. The NHS for example is becoming increasingly reliant on short-term cover to fill gaps in hospital rotas because there aren’t enough nurses to take permanent roles. Meanwhile, the shortage of people with cyber security skills is a particular concern in many businesses in the wake of the recent high-profile WannaCry attacks.”

If you want to make yourself seriously employable, upskilling would be a wise move. What about taking a course in cyber security so you have something extra to add to your CV? If you’d like further help and advice relating to your job search at the moment, get in touch with us today.